There’s nothing like the taste of hot, cheesy pizza straight out of the delivery box. Unfortunately, it only takes a night of sitting in the fridge for that same slice to turn into a hunk of cold cardboard.
You don’t necessarily have to settle for cold, rubbery leftovers after pizza night, but reheating your slice can be a bit of an art form. Sticking it in the microwave for a few minutes will heat your pizza, but it will leave the crust chewy and the cheese greasy.
The oven is no better. Plenty of pizza lovers have tried reheating their leftovers in the oven only to be left with a dry, flavorless crisp a good half-hour later. You’ll get similar results from a smaller toaster oven, even if it does offer a faster cooking time.
Perhaps the best way of heating old pizza is by using an air fryer. It offers the best of both worlds, leaving your crust light and your cheese melty. If you want to reheat pizza in air fryer, you’ll get quick, easy, and delicious results every time.
What is an Air Fryer?
Air fryers started as an alternative to traditional deep fryers, but they’re something of a “jack-of-all-trades” in the kitchen these days. An air fryer works much like a convection oven, heating food using a single overhead element. A powerful fan circulates hot air around the unit to evenly cook your food.
To get that rich, crispy crust to your food, you have to add around one teaspoon to one tablespoon of oil when you reheat pizza in air fryer. This gives food the same crunch as a regular deep fryer without as much saturated fat.
Reheating Pizza With an Air Fryer
You can reheat pizza in air fryer in just minutes with the right air fryer. It will give you a gooey, melted cheese without the risk of a soggy crust or dried-out toppings. Just make sure to follow a few simple steps for perfect leftovers every time.
First, plug in your air fryer, add oil, and heat it to around 350℉. For Brooklyn-style pizza and other thin crust options, you may want to lower the temperature to 325℉. However, this may still be hot enough to burn the cheese, so it’s best to keep an eye on your pizza as it heats. If you notice browning, lower the temperature by 20℉ to 30℉. Heat your pizza slowly to avoid drying it out.
You only need to cook for around three to four minutes before your slice will be ready to eat. If you keep it in longer, be sure to check every minute or so to make sure the edges aren’t burning. Most air fryers allow you to safely open the door during cooking to check on your food.
It’s best to cook just one or two slices at a time in an air fryer. Overloading the cooking chamber may mean mushy or undercooked pizza. If you want to cook more at once, some air fryers offer a dual-layer rack for improved circulation.